Christmas tree lights storage container



May 2l, 1968 w. l.. sPATz CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS STORAGE CONTAINER FiledAug. 29, 1966 United States Patent O 3,384,227 CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTSSTGRAGE CONTAINER William L. Spatz, 1543 Cork Lane, Hazelwood, Mo. 63042Filed Aug. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 575,744 1 Claim. (Cl. 2015-65) ABSTRACT FTHE DISCLOSURE A container for storing strings of Christmas tree lightsin such manner that the strings can be easily and quickly stored thereinor removed therefrom.

Summary of the invention My container is adapted to store a string ofChristmas lights of the type which has a plurality of sockets, eachdetachably receiving a corresponding bulb, and a cable connecting all ofthe sockets in an electric circuit.

The container comprises an elongated horizontally extending rectangularhollow box sealed at one end and open at the other. The box has upperand lower horizontal walls joined by oppositely disposed parallelvertical horizontally extending side walls. The lower wall has a slot inthe center which extends along the direction of elongation. The box isadapted to receive the sockets mounted vertically side by side andresting on top of said slot and on top of the lower wall with the bulbsadjacent but below the upper wall and the cable extending in loopsextending downward through the slot below the sockets.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of one form of my container; FIGURE 2 isa view through 2 2 in FIGURE 1; FIGURE 3 is a view through 3--3 inFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective View of the container in FIGURES 1-3 in use;and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of a modification of my container.

Referring now to FIGURES 1-4, there is shown a` hollow elongatedhorizontally extending container having a sealed end and an oppositelydisposed open end 12. This container has in cross section the shape of ahollow rectangle and has upper and lower parallel horizontal,horizontally extending walls 14 and 16 joined by two oppositely disposedvertical parallel horizontally extending side walls 18 and 20. Lowerwall 16 has a centrally disposed slot 22 extending horizontally in thedirection of elongation.

A Christmas tree light string has a plurality of sockets 24, eachreceiving detachably a corresponding bulb 26 and being interconnected bycable 28 disposed in loops 30.

In use, my container is adapted to detachably receive the string byremoving each bulb containing socket and associated loop from a tree 32and placing each socket upright on top of the top surface of the lowerwall with the bulb on top of the socket and disposed below the 3,384,227Patented May 21, i968 ICC upper wall. The loop extends downward throughthe slot and below the lower wall. Each socket is placed next to theadjacent socket in the container in side by side aligned relationship.The string can be removed from the container by revising the process.

As shown in FiGURE 5, a ilat Z shaped member having a long leg 34 and atransversely extending short leg 38 is disposed parallel and below thelower Wall. Leg 34 is pivotally secured at point 36 intermediate itsends to the bottom surface of the lower wall, whereby the member can bemanually positioned in a first position (shown in FIGURE 5) at which leg38 spans the slot and holds the loops and thus the string in storedposition. Alternatively, the member can be swung into a secured positionat which leg 2.8 is spaced away from the slot and the string can befreely removed from or stored into the container, a transverse flatcoplanar arm 40 secured to the end of leg 34 remote from leg 38terminates in a vertical stop 42 spaced away from a side wall 20. Springmeans 44 interposed between wall 20 and stop 42 to spring bias saidmember in the rst position.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to thedrawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claimswhich follows.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

1. A container adopted to store a string of Christmas tree lightscornprisin7 a plurality of sockets, an electric cable connecting all ofsaid sockets in an electric circuit a like plurality of bulbs, eachbulbs being detachably secured in a corresponding socket, said containercom prising an elongated horizontally extending rectangular hollow boxsealed at one end and open at the other end, said box having upper andlower parallel horizontal walls joined oppositely disposed parallellongitudinally extending vertical side walls, said lower wall having aslot in the center and extending longitudinally, said box being adoptedto receive said bulb containing sockets mounted vertically side by sideand resting on top of said slot and on top of the lower wall with thebulbs adjacent but below the upper wall and said cable extending inloops extending downward through said slot below said sockets, said boxfurther including a flat Z shaped member lying in a plane parallel tothe lower wall and positioned therebelow, said member having a long legpivotally secured to a portion of the lower surface of the lower wall ata point intermediate the ends of the long leg and a short leg extendingtransversely to the long leg whereby said member can be manuallypositioned in a iirst position at which the short leg extends across theslot to hold the light string in place and in a second position at whichthe short leg is spaced away from the slot and the string can be storedinto or removed from the box as desired.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,984,347 5/1961 Kalinchuk 206-653,115,968 12/1963 Peterson 206-56 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner.

